Entertainment

How To Filter Your Gmail Like a Pro

Your Gmail inbox is taking over your life. At least, that's probably how it feels sometimes. Waking up to an inbox filled with a few dozen unread messages makes you want to close the browser in defeat.

But don't worry, we're here to help. Filters are some of the most powerful Gmail tools, serving to keep less important email out of your face, and allowing the cream to rise to the top.

To access these tools, look for the gear icon in the top-right corner of your Gmail. In that dropdown, click "Settings," then the "Filters" link at the top of the next page. This page shows you any existing filters, then invites you to "Create a New Filter."

While some of the filters are very straightforward, below you'll see several tips and tricks to on how to filter your messages like a pro.

1. Automated Emails Marked as Read

Scenario: You constantly check your inbox after seeing that number of unread messages tick upward, only to be disappointed by mundane content, like automated emails about your UPS package status. This is a good time to set up a "Mark as Read" filter for stuff you want to hold on to, but don't necessarily need to read.

Set a whole domain name in your filters to follow this rule, or just one specific address, like ship-confirm@amazon.com, the Amazon shipment confirmation address.

2. Auto Archiving

When you archive emails in Gmail, they are removed from your inbox, but are still stored in your Gmail account if you need search for them later. This is a good solution for those who never want to delete emails, but still want to feel like they have control over the amount of content in their inboxes.

Simply create a filter to automatically archive emails from a certain sender or email send to a specific email address, for stuff you want to keep but don't need to see.

3. No Folders

It's important to note one shortcoming of Gmail's filters: lack of folder support. While you can have folders that remove stuff from your general Inbox, Gmail does not do this automatically. This is something those who use a traditional desktop email client like Outlook will certainly miss. The best option is to use labels, in those situations.

4. Multiple Senders

Filters can also work for multiple senders, if you have a list of certain people you want to designate with one label. Simply set up the filter as "email1@gmail.com OR email2@gmail.com," and continue from there.

5. Filters Work Inside Your Inbox

If clutter is a problem, you can also apply all these handy filters to messages already in your inbox. Once you enter the filter search term, check the box that says "Apply this filter to X # of messages already in your inbox."

6. The Power of the Plus Sign

In a previous post, I explained that dot placement in Gmail is purely for aesthetic purposes, but it's important to know that other characters can be parsed differently. Take the plus sign: Google ignores all text after it and still directs messages to the correct address. That means it can be a powerful tool for filtering.

Say you want to sign up for a social network or need to register your email address to receive a coupon, but you don't want to receive associated emails or notifications from those sites. Add a plus sign to your email and those messages will skip your inbox altogether. For example, Justin.Bieber+Rabid.Fans@gmail.com or Biz.Stone+Twitter@gmail.com would still be delivered to the correct email addresses, but can be sorted, labeled or even trashed before they arrive in your inbox.

Think about that next time you fill in a form that requires your email, or when you post a contact email on your website. You can then select if you want these emails automatically archived, deleted, marked as important or unimportant.

7. Pre-Labeling With Colored Labels

If you need a visual representation of different types of messages in your inbox, you can set up labels with many different color schemes. You can then assign anything that comes into your inbox, from a specific sender to a specific version of email. Some helpful label ideas are "shopping," "follow up," "bills," or anything you want to sort visually.

8. Super Stars

You can also add stars to your filtered messages, so they'll automatically show up as important if they contain any of your search criteria. Unfortunately, while Gmail has added several different searchable star designs, it doesn't allow you to add a specific type of star to your message.

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